fia faia!

“Fia faia” is the most out-standing Christmas celebration of Baga and Sant Julia de Cerdanyola

The celebration consists of burning torches, denominated FAIES, at Christmas’ Eve after the

traditional "Toc d’Oració". The burn is accompanied with very brief songs:

“Fia-faia, que nostre Senyor ha nascut a la paia”,

In the background the church-bells are ringing

When the torches are shorter, they make a bonfire with the rest of them and the young people jump over it, and other people dance around it

Every year, when the longest night of the year arrives, the

“fallaires” from Bagà and Sant Julià de Cerdanyola stop

the advance of the dark. The Fia-Faia stops the

darkness advance and gets the sun longer in the sky day

in day out.

The festivity of Baga is very striking with nearly two hundred torches in the Arcade square (“Plaça Porxada”)

In Sant Julia de Cerdanyola the festivity has more intimate atmosphere and very adapted to Christmas

In the beginning they make a bonfire in the sunset mountain and from there the fire is carried down to each village by a group of “Fallaires” in a colourful night descent

It is a pagan or pre-Christian festivity to celebrate the winter solstice and the fia faia is a prayer to stop the shortness of the days.

The faias can be more than two metres long

Fia faia timetable

• 18’00 They lit the bonfire, visible from Baga and Sant Julia de Cerdanyola

• 18’30 They carry the torch down for the “Fallaires”

• 18’50 They welcome the fallaires in front of the church

• 19’00 The fallaires come to Catalonia Square and burn the faies. They go to the Arcade square. Finally they dance around the bonfire and coca and quince “all i oli” for everybody

THIS POWER POINT HAS BEEN MADE BY

• PAU RIBA

• JORDI RIBOLLEDA